Application servers, for example WebLogic Server or GlassFish servers, enable an organization to run complex software applications. A cloud computing environment enables responsibilities which previously may have been provided by an organization's own information technology department, to be delivered as service layers within a cloud environment, for use by consumers that are internal (i.e., private) or external (i.e., public) to the organization. However, in typical application server and cloud environments, the configuration of application server or cloud environment modules is defined globally, e.g., by a domain configuration file, which requires reconfiguration when, for example, new modules are added to the system. These are examples of the types of environment in which embodiments of the invention can be used.